Digital Accessibility

Background

Under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 government entities - such as schools and libraries - must make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Government recently signed a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that covers digital inclusion. This rule clarifies what schools and libraries need to do to make their website and mobile applications accessible to everyone.

Federal Laws & Guidance

RAILS Resources for Libraries

Guidance from Ancel Glink Regarding Discrimination Complaint

Following Secretary Giannoulias’ meeting with RAILS public library directors on April 22, RAILS was made aware of a complaint shared by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education related to alleged discrimination based on disability. Specifically, these complaints are related to a library’s website and whether that web experience is equal to the opportunities afforded to those without disability. Similar complaints were received by at least two public libraries in Illinois, and it was relayed that the complainant may intend to file against other Illinois public libraries in the future.

RAILS requested that Ancel Glink, our legal partner, address the recent digital access discrimination complaints against libraries. In a memorandum, Ancel Glink outlines the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (“OCR”) complaint process, OCR investigations, and OCR resolutions of complaints including settlements and mediation, and more.

This is intended to be a general support for this process, and libraries are encouraged to work with their own legal counsel should they receive a similar complaint.

Ancel Glink Memo Regarding OCR Complaint

Discounts/Member Offers & Opportunities

Member libraries have reached out to RAILS about securing advantageous pricing for resources related to accessibility compliance for library websites. We are actively pursuing potential opportunities and will post new deals here and on the RAILS Deals & Discounts page.

RAILS Events (Upcoming and Recorded)

Upcoming

RAILS Webinar: Making Your Website More Accessible
Wednesday, July 24, 10–11 a.m.
Website accessibility continues to gain importance as organizations realize that there are serious legal consequences for websites that aren’t usable by people with disabilities. However, it is not always immediately practical to rebuild a website in its entirety to meet accessibility criteria. Most public libraries will need to be totally compliant by April of 2026. In this 1-hour introductory webinar, we’ll briefly discuss the legal landscape, and then break down some concrete actions and changes you can make to your website’s content now to make it more accessible in the short term.

In this webinar you'll learn what “web accessibility” actually covers, understand which legal standards apply to library websites, and take away at least three changes that can be made to make a website more accessible to people with disabilities. This event will be recorded.

RAILS Webinar: Creating Accessible PDFs
Wednesday, August 28, 2–3 p.m.
Website accessibility continues to gain importance as organizations realize that there are serious legal Even if a library has been focusing on making its website more accessible, PDF files that patrons download are often overlooked. PDF documents are not inherently accessible and require specific effort to make them accessible. In this session, learn concrete actions you can take to make your library’s PDF content accessible. This event will be recorded.

Recorded

The Modern eAccessibility Landscape (L2 login required)
June 12, 2024
Includes information on processes and outcomes of the work of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Learn methods you can implement now to make your library a harder target for eAccessibility complaints.  Learn about the supports a library needs to create and maintain an accessible digital footprint.

RAILS Member Update
June 6, 2024
RAILS welcomes all staff at all levels from all types of RAILS libraries (academic, public, school, and specialized) to join the RAILS Member Update on Zoom. This event will include a presentation on digital accessibility for libraries by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ADA IT Coordinator Keith Hays.

Slides from Keith Hays presentation

Design for Access-Making Online Content Accessible (L2 login required)
September 8, 2022
Librarian and technologist Jessamyn West will discuss the social model of disability and universal access with a focus on website accessibility. She will offer clear resources and tips for helping libraries make their "born digital" content as accessible as possible without breaking the bank.

Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs)

RAILS VPAT Repository
To ensure libraries meet web accessibility standards when purchasing electronic resources, many vendors offer a VPAT – Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, which can aid in assessing how the product meets Section 508. RAILS maintains a repository of VPATs. These are available for all RAILS libraries.

Other Resources

Free Resources

Paid Resources